Echos
by SilverLining1800
Summary: Papyrus finds out through an echo flower that Sans is feeling down and strives to find out why. Rated T because IDK.
1. Chapter 1

Striding along the path, Papyrus walked in the direction of home. He knew he could've taken the boat home, in fact, it probably would have been quicker, but he just wasn't in the mood to do so. He'd rather walk along the long path, letting his mind wander as his feet moved him along.

Waterfall truly was a beautiful place, he thought as his feet walked across the slightly damp ground. The small town was truly a sight to behold. In a seemingly eternal night, the gems on the cavern's ceiling seemed to glisten like stars, and the echo flowers that lined the path filled the air with the wishes of those who came before.

Papyrus tried not to listen to the flowers, feeling he was intruding on something sacred by listening; but every once and awhile his curiosity got the best of him. As he walked delicately through a patch of echo flowers, he noticed something peculiar. A lone echo flower stood in a remote corner of the room, hidden by the darkness that surrounded it. One could glance right at it and never even notice it.

Slowly, careful not to make any noise, he approached the flower. It was a far way off the path, making it unlikely anyone before him had found it, and yet, he was curious. Carefully, he touched the flower with a finger and waited with baited breath for a message in time to play.

The voice that spoke shocked him.

"I can't do this anymore," the voice said, "I just can't. I'm so tired, I want it to end. I just wish it would end."

The echo flower quieted, leaving a tense silence in its wake. Papyrus sat there, shocked by the words. That can't be... He pressed the echo flower again, hoping that he had misheard. The message played the same as before, furthering Papyrus's horror.

He knew that voice. It was his brother's voice. Sans. He looked down at the echo flower as if it had come from hell itself. Sitting there, flower beside him, he thought over the meaning the words it had spoke. Those words, those terrifying words, he doubted he would ever forget them. Why? He asked. Why did his brother feel this way? He always thought Sans to be a relatively happy guy. He told jokes, hung out at Grillby's, and always had a smile on his face. How could someone like that possibly be unhappy? Yet, as Papyrus thought about it, a dark realization occurred. What if it was all an act? It would make sense, if it was true. A relaxed, happy attitude to mask the dark inner turmoil. The thought made him shudder. That he never ever noticed it. Papyrus stared at the echo flower, contemplating what to do with it. Finally, he made his decision. He got up, and began walking back to Undyne's house.  
-

Notes: This is the first chapter of my mutlichapter fanfic. I do not know how long it will be, as I have no outline for the story. I will try to update often, but know that that is not always possible. With that being said, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter and hope to stick around to see more.


	2. Chapter 2

Undyne certainly wasn't expecting Papyrus to come back so soon, so she was quite surprised to see him at her door.

"Papyrus?" She said, "Training is over for the day. What are you doing here?"

Papyrus wrung his hands for a moment, an immediate indicator that he was nervous about something.

"Well Undyne," he said, "I was wondering if you might happen to have a jar of some kind. You see, I found this echo flower with a particular message that I wish to save. However, I need something to block out the sound so that it won't ruin the message."

That was suspicious. Papyrus didn't usually listen to echo flower messages, much less want to keep one. What was so important about this echo flower? As much as Undyne wanted to question him, she knew it would do no good. So instead, she simply led him inside and began searching through her drawers.

"No one's ever asked me for something like that before," she said, "But I'll see what I have."

She looked through the draws for a moment before settling on a glass, rather soundproof, jar.

"This should do the trick!" She said as she gave it to him, "As long as you're not screaming at the top of your lungs the echo flower should be good."

Papyrus's face practically lit up.

"Oh thank you Undyne!" He said, "I promise I'll bring it back eventually!"

"Yeah, yeah," she replied, "Now get going! I'm going over to Alphy's place to watch anime soon and I don't want to be late!"

"Of course! Bye, Undyne!" Papyrus said as he walked out the door.

Undyne simply smiled and waved, before going inside to but on a nice outfit for her hangout.

Papyrus quietly ran to where the echo flower was, making sure not to make any loud noises. After checking that the message was still there, he uprooted the flower and put it in the jar.

"There!" He said quietly, "Now to return home and have a nice long chat with my brother!"

He sighed, "I hope this goes well."  
-

Note: And there's chapter two! Hope you are all enjoying this story! I appreciate any feedback I get, so don't be shy!


	3. Chapter 3

Sans was lying on the couch at home when Papyrus returned. He was beginning to worry when his brother seemed to be running late, and was relieved when he came walking through the door. Sans was a little surprised when he didn't come barging in yelling like he usually did. In fact, the door opened rather slowly and quietly. Certainly a first for Papyrus. As much as he was worried about this sudden change in character, he didn't let it show. He was good at things like that.

"Hey bro," he said nonchalantly, "How was training?"

Papyrus jumped slightly, causing Sans to raise his eyebrow a bit.

"Oh! Um, training went great! We didn't even burn the house down this time!"

Sans chuckled, "Well that's good to hear," he said.

Sans noticed that Papyrus was holding something behind his back.

"What's that bro?" He asked.

"Huh? Oh! This?" He asked, pulling as small glass jar to the front of him, "It's an echo flower I found. I thought you might want to see it."

This confused Sans. Papyrus wasn't usually interested in echo flowers.

Papyrus walked over to the couch and sat down, holding the jar in his hands. He seemed visibly nervous, something that greatly worried Sans. Papyrus cleared his throat.

"So, Sans," he said, "I must ask you to be quiet, so that the message does not change."

"Sure thing bro," Sans said calmly.

"Great!" Papyrus exclaimed, before settling down, "Now then," he fumbled with the jar, "no talking!"

He slowly opened the jar, being ever so careful not to make a sound. A sense of dread began to fall over Sans, but he suppressed the feeling in favor of listen to whatever the echo flower had to say.

He wished he hadn't.

From the moment the flower began to talk, he realized what it was. The echo flower he had spoken to over two weeks ago. He had forgotten about that, but now the moment came crashing back to him. It had just RESET after a genocide run, and he was feeling particularly crummy. So he took a shortcut to Waterfall, for the tranquility the area offered. Sans had never really been one to talk to echo flowers, always paranoid of who might stumble upon it, but this time he made an exception. He just needed to say it. Say it out loud and have someone listen. Even if it was just a flower. But he wasn't foolish. He knew that monsters liked to listen to the echo flowers and marvel in their wishes, so he was careful. He chose an echo flower in the far corner of the room, covered by darkness. A long way off the path, no one would ever notice it. But, apparently, someone did. That someone being the last monster in the Underground he wanted to hear it.

Oh boy.

Sans could feel the sweat build up on his forehead as he looked up at Papyrus who had put the flower back in the jar and set it down on the side table. He stared nervously at his brother, waiting for him to speak.

"Brother," Papyrus started, slowly, "that was your voice, was it not?"

Sans suddenly found it hard to speak.

"I..." Papyrus began, "...I just,...why?"

 _Why?_

Such a simple question. And yet, the answer was as complicated as quantum physics. Actually, more complicated, since he was actually rather adept at quantum physics. He tried to speak, tried to say something to explain to those poor pleading eye sockets that looked down at him. But that would mean explaining everything. More than a lifetime of secrets revealed. The thought made his throat close up. He couldn't. He just couldn't. Yet he also couldn't stay here and deny an answer to the pleading face of Papyrus. He couldn't. So instead, he left.

Papyrus didn't know what reaction he was expecting. Maybe he thought Sans would break down crying in his arms. Maybe he thought he would get mad at him and scream and yell. Or maybe he thought he would try to nervously cover his traces in a desperate attempt at stopping some truth from coming out. But he certainly didn't expect his brother to up and leave through a shortcut in a fit of terror.

Papyrus took a minute to take it all in before he panicked. His brother up and left to avoid telling him the truth. Something was definitely wrong, maybe even more wrong than he had previously thought. He thought for a moment on what to do. Knowing Sans, if he didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be. So even if his mind was screaming at him to go find Sans, he would simply be wasting his time if he went looking for him. But what else was he supposed to do? Panic surged through him. Only one thought came to mind. Call Undyne. She'll know what to do. And so he picked up his phone and waited for Undyne to pick up.  
-

Note: And there's chapter 3! I'm trying to make the chapters a little longer, so I hope you like that. Feedback is always appreciated, and I'm so glad that people are actually liking this story. Thanks for everything, and see you in the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

After the rather odd encounter with the echo flower, Undyne couldn't help but feel a bit of dread as she picked up the phone. She was almost tempted to let it go into voicemail and just continue watching anime with Alyphs. But that would be rude. She knew something was up, and this only seemed to make her more sure. She picked up the phone hesitantly.

"Papyrus? What's going on?" She said.

A torrent of panicked yells were shot straight at her, catching her off guard.

"Woah, woah," Undyne said, "Calm down. What's wrong?"

Alyphs turned to look at Undyne, worry on her face. Undyne tried to ignore it as she put her focus into calming Papyrus down.

"Papyrus. Papyrus, listen to me," she said, "I can't help you if I can't understand you. So just take a deep breath and calm down."

Undyne heard heavy breathing on the line as Papyrus tried to calm himself down. The breathing slowly slowed.

"Good," she said, "You ok?"

"Yeah," Papyrus responded shakily.

"Ok. Now tell me what's wrong."

Another deep breath.

"Ok," Papyrus said, "So, you know that echo flower I mentioned earlier?" he asked.

"Yeah?" Undyne responded, "What about it?"

"Well you see…"

A pause.

A deep breath.

Another.

Alyphs tapped Undyne on the shoulder, mouthing _what's wrong?_ Undyne shrugged her shoulders and turned her attention back to the phone.

"T-That echo flower actually belonged to Sans."

Undyne raised her eyebrows, but said nothing.

"And you see, the message was…"

Papyrus stopped, seemingly debating his word choice. Undyne began to get nervous.

"Was… What?" she asked impatiently.

A shaky breath.

"Was…" Papyrus tried, only to fall silent once more.

Undyne was beginning to grow impatient in her worry.

"Do you still have the flower?"

"Huh?" Papyrus asked.

"Do you still have the flower?" Undyne repeated.

"Uh, yeah. Why?" Papyrus asked.

"If you can't describe the message to me, then just play it over the phone." Undyne suggested.

A pause, then a response.

"O-Okay," Papyrus said.

"Good. I'm going to put you on speaker so that Alyphs can hear it too, okay?"

"O-Okay."

Undyne put the phone on speaker, and quietly caught Alyphs up with what little information she had.

"Okay, I've got the flower," Papyrus said, "Be sure to be quite."

"Ok" both girls said quietly.

There was a pause, only for Sans voice to come through the phone.

"I can't do this anymore," his voice said, "I just can't. I'm so tired, I want it to end. I just wish it would end."

The message ended, and both girls sat in stunned silence as Papyrus put the flower away.

After saying that he had put the flower upstairs in it's soundproof case, there was a moment of silence. No one knew what to say. Given her outgoing nature, Undyne spoke first. Her words were quiet and hushed, and carried a certain tone that people almost never saw her use.

"What the _hell_ was that?"  
-

The thought that running away was completely and utterly stupid crossed Sans mind. And yet, that was exactly what he had done. Run away.

Sans sat on a lone bench in Waterfall, deep in thought. He came here quite often, whenever he needed to get away from things. Most people didn't even know that the room existed, but Sans did. And he liked that. It meant he could stay there for hours without having to worry about someone barging in on him.

And so he sat and thought.

In retrospect, running away certainly wasn't the best option he had. But hindsight is 20/20, and Sans certainly wasn't thinking straight when it happened. Now all he could do was work with the situation as it was.

That didn't leave him with many options.

What could he do? The minute he came back Papyrus would want to know what's wrong, and that would get a rid of the whole point of running in the first place. But he couldn't just stay away forever. Drop off the face of the earth for too long and Papyrus would get a search party just to go look for him. There were no good options.

Sans sighed.

Why was life so complicated for him? He didn't deserve this torture. But it was thrust upon him regardless.

Sans lied down on the bench and closed his eyes.

He would have to face his brother eventually, but that didn't mean he had to do it right now. Now he would rest. He would go to sleep and think about how much better the world would be if he just never existed.

Note: And there's chapter 4! So glad you guys are enjoying the story. I was a little worried about my characterization, but I think I'm doing an ok job. As always, your feedback is appreciated, and I'll see you in the next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

Following Undyne's comment, the next few moments were filled with the voices of three friends freaking out.

"What was that about!?"

"Is Sans okay?"

"What are we going to do?!"

A torrent of similar questions flooded the room, before all three of them finally called themselves down.

"Ok, Ok," Undyne said, catching her breath, "We have to be sensible about this."

"R-Right," Alyphs agreed, "W-We c-c-can't be f-freaking out about this."

Papyrus nodded his head, only to remember he was still talking to them on the phone, and responding with a shaky "Yes".

"So Papyrus," Undyne said, "Do you know where Sans is?"

Papyrus sighed, "No. I tried to confront him about it, but he just ran away! That's why I called you. I don't know what to do!"

Undyne grew worried, she wasn't used to being the emotional support, and was at a loss for what to do. Luckily, Alyphs seemed to know what to do.

"O-Okay then," she said, "T-Then I g-gues the first t-t-thing to d-do would be t-try a-and find Sans."

"But that's near impossible!" cried Papyrus, "I can almost never find Sans when he's upset!"

"Then you're just not looking hard enough!" yelled Undyne, "We'll find that punk! And when we do, we're gonna make him tell us what's wrong!"

"U-U-Undyne," Alyphs said, "W-We c-can't make h-him tell u-us. W-We h-have to be d-d-delicate w-with how w-we h-h-handle this s-situation."

"Alyphs is right," Papyrus said, "He ran away when I confronted him, so we might need a different approach."

Undyne huffed, "I suppose you're right." she said, "But at least now we have a plan! We'll split up! I'll take Waterfall, Alyphs will take Hotland, and you'll take Snowdin! If we find Sans we call the others and talk to Sans in a calm way."

Everyone agreed that that was the best course of action.

"Okay then!" yelled Papyrus, "Then we're off to find my brother!"

Undyne searched around Waterfall, her mind wandering aimlessly as she walked. Something was wrong with Sans, that much she knew. What she didn't know, was what was wrong. There had to be something to make him feel that way, yet her mind drew a blank.

Maybe she just didn't know Sans that well.

After all, they weren't the best of friends. They really only interacted because of Papyrus. And even then, their conversations never lasted long, as Undyne would always get too frustrated with his laid back attitude and puns to ever really talk to him for long.

Undyne shook her head.

Well how was she supposed to know he was feeling so down!? It's not her job to cheer people up!

But then again, wasn't it?

The Royal Guard's job is to protect The Underground. To bring hope to the monsters who live there. To make them feel safe.

Right now Sans was in some random secluded place in The Underground, without hope or protection. He didn't even feel safe enough to tell his problems to his brother. When it came to Sans, she had failed to do her job.

But not for long.

Now, that was gonna change. She didn't know what was bugging her friend, but right now she didn't care. All she cared about was finding him and making sure he was ok. He was her friend, even if they didn't talk much. And that meant she was going to protect him, no matter what.

Alyphs didn't know what to think as she walked the streets of Hotland. Letting her mind float, it went to what she knew about Sans.

Her relationship with Sans was… complicated, to say the least. Heck, she doubted most people even knew they knew each other. They hadn't interacted much recently, but in the past they were really good friends.

She wished they hadn't fallen out of touch.

Alyphs wracked her brain for the reason they stopped talking, but found herself coming up blank. She vaguely remembered something big happening, but the exact event seemed to elude her.

If only she paid more attention to her friends, instead of wallowing in her own self pity, then stuff like this wouldn't happen. Alyphs thought of her old friends Bratty and Catty. How were they doing now? Did she hurt them when she stopped visiting?

Alyphs sighed. No one deserved to feel how she felt. She knew what it was like to feel that way, and it was awful. She didn't want anyone to feel that way, especially not Sans. She'd have to spend more time with friends after all this. No point in making them feel as bad a she did.

A voice in the back of her mind reminded her that it wasn't her fault, and that she shouldn't take all of the blame, yet she ignored it. Sans was hurting, and he was her friend. It was her job to make sure he was okay, even if she was feeling pretty bad herself.

Papyrus walked through the deep snow of Snowdin, lost in thought. How could he have been so blind as to not notice his brother's struggles? Was he a bad brother?

Papyrus thought to all the times he ever criticized Sans. Complaining about his puns, his lazy behavior, and his bad personal hygiene. To him, it was said in a kind brotherly way. He wanted Sans to be better, and nagging him was the way to do it.

But what if Sans thought it differently? What if Sans thought he just didn't like him, and was complaining about him? What if Sans thought he hated him?

Papyrus shook his head.

No! Sans would never think that of him like that. Sans knew that he loved him, and only wanted the best for him.

Then why did he run away?

The thought lingered in his mind. Sans was scared. Scared to tell him whatever was bothering him. Why? He wasn't sure. But that didn't really matter. What mattered was being a good brother. And to do that, he would have to be there for Sans, whether Sans wanted it or not! He would be there!

Well, after he found him, of course.

Note: There's chapter 5! I hope you like it! I was a little worried about my characterization of Alyphs, but I think I did ok.(Those stutters were so hard to write, though.) It was also hard cause we don't know the exact relationship Sans and Alyphs have. We know they know each other, but we don't know how, why, or when. I tried my best, though! Anyway, see you in the next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

On the bench in Waterfall, Sans tossed and turned in his sleep. Nightmares plagued his mind, dragging him into the deepest darkest parts of his memory.

A door no one answered.

A scarf alone in the snow.

A fallen heroine.

A dusty knife and crazed red eyes.

Blood and dust.

He felt as if he was there. Reliving every moment. Reliving the pain and the loss.

The memories consumed him, took control of his being. He had no free will. Not when his life was in the demon's hands.

He was forced to dance by puppet strings; open his mouth and sing. The jester of the king; amusement for his master. Nothing but letters and numbers. Pointless code to remember.

In his mind, a child laughed at his torture. Their laugh bounced off the walls, reverberating back to him louder each time.

Tears stained his cheeks as he was dragged into the dark. To relive the memories. To relieve the pain.

Undyne had just reached the bridge seed room when she heard it. A desperate cry for help. Undyne stopped to listen to the voice. It sounded familiar.

That's when it hit her. That was Sans! She could hear the voice loud and clear now, as she ran towards the source. It seemed to be coming from off to her left. Since when was there ever a room there?

She didn't care. Quickly arranging the bridge seeds she ran across to the mystery room, only to stop short at the sight she saw.

There lying fast asleep on a bench, was Sans.

And he looked awful.

Tears poured down his face as he cried out for help. His magic surged around him, wild and untamed, creating and destroying magic attacks randomly. His left eye was aglow, and a blue aura surrounded him.

Undyne was frozen in shock.

What the hell was going on here?!

All of a sudden a giant blaster materialized and shot a beam of white magic right at her. Finally being shaken out of her stupper, she narrowly dodged the blast. It left a black scorch mark on the ground.

That. Would have hurt.

Undyne directed her attention back to Sans. He seemed completely oblivious to the destruction he was causing as he tossed in his sleep.

That left Undyne with the only possible solution to the problem.

Wake him up.

Easier said than done, as she continued to dodge the random blasts and bones that came her way. How the hell was she going to wake him up?

She tried in vain to get close to him, however the magical attacks kept her away for her own safety. There were too many things going on. She couldn't get close to him.

She thought desperately for something to do, but her mind came up blank. Finally, her frustration getting the better of her, she ran blindly into the sea of attacks.

She got hit at least 10 times, but she didn't care. She was finally by Sans side. Not wasting a second, she grabbed him by the arms and started shaking him. The attacks sparked in their ferocity, hitting her a couple more times, but Undyne didn't care.

"Wake Up!" She screamed.

Suddenly, Sans' eyes burst opened and everything got flown back.

Undyne felt herself hit the wall behind her as the magical attacks quickly dissipated. She looked up, and saw Sans sitting on the floor, tears still streaking down his face and hyperventilating.

She took a moment to steal herself before walking towards him cautiously.

"Sans?" she asked quietly.

He didn't respond, only continuing to hyperventilate.

Slowly, she put her hand on his shoulder.

"Sans."

He looked up, startled.

"Calm down," she said as quietly as she could, "It's just me. Relax."

Slowly he nodded his head, and his breathing slowing down.

It suddenly occurred to Undyne that she was supposed to call the others when she found Sans. However, looking at Sans, she decided it could wait.

Right now, he needed her.

Sans tried to calm himself down, taking deep slow breaths of air. He couldn't lose his cool, at least, more than he already had. He felt his breath quicken a bit. Undyne had saw him during one of his nightmares. That wasn't good.

Sans turned to glance at Undyne. She was looking at him with a mix of unease and concern.

"You okay?" she asked.

Sans shakily nodded his head.

"Good," Undyne said, "Well then; I suppose the only logical next point of action would be to ask WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

Sans shrank back at the scream, breath quickening ever so slightly. Undyne sighed, reminding herself to keep her frustration and anger at bay, before talking again.

"Listen," she said, "I don't want to be rude. And I certainly don't want to make you freak out. But right now I'm a bit confused and a bit worried. What happened back there? That was no ordinary nightmare."

Sans turned to look away from Undyne, trying desperately to ignore her.

"We're worried about you," she continued, "We were so confused when Papyrus told us what happened, and…" she trailed off.

Sans looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"And we want to help," she finished, "We want to help fix whatever has gone wrong. But we can't do that is you ignore us. So please. What's wrong."

Sans stared at Undyne, taking in her words. They wanted to help. But they didn't even know what helping would entail. He didn't want to burden them with his knowledge. But then again, Undyne said they wanted to know. He thought about that.

"You sure?" he asked quietly.

"Absolutely."

Sans looked down at the ground. After a short time, he let out a sigh.

"Ok," he said, "You win. I'll... I'll tell you all. But I'm only saying this once, so get everyone here before I start."

Undyne beamed, "You got it!" she said; whipping out her phone to call the others.

Note: And here's the next chapter! Fair warning, updates may slow a bit as school starts up again for me, but I'll try to update as frequently as I can! With that said, see you in the next chapter! 


	7. Chapter 7

Papyrus was a bit shocked when Undyne called him. He honestly didn't expect to find him that quickly. But when she explained the circumstances, it made sense.

He felt an odd mixture of joy and fear as he made his way over to where Undyne said they were. On one hand, he was going to figure out what was bothering his brother! But on the other, he wondered how bad said thing was, if it was affecting his brother so much. He feared he may not be able to handle it, and the last thing he wanted to do was add to his brother's problems.

Papyrus shook his head. He couldn't think that way! He was the Great Papyrus after all! He could handle whatever dastardly force was bothering his brother.

The fear Papyrus had melted away, and he smiled. It always worked. Whenever he felt he couldn't handle anything, he just reminded himself how great he was. Surely someone as great as him could handle something like this. It made him feel better, and allowed him to make it through situations that would have otherwise stopped him.

Your great, he reminded himself. And you will be able to help Sans with whatever it was that was bothering him!

He took a deep breath as he neared the area. He would make sure his brother was alright, if it was the last thing he did.

Sans was beginning to doubt his decision to tell everyone about the RESETS. He knew they wanted to know, but did they _really_ want know? How would they handle such information? Would they even believe him? Maybe they'd think he was crazy.

He was just about to tell Undyne he'd changed his mind when Papyrus came in. Sans looked at his brother, worried. He could see the obvious worry on his face, but also something different. DETERMINATION. Something in that look told Sans he couldn't back down now. Which meant only one thing.

He had to tell the truth.

Sans took in a shaky breath, watching as Alyphs entered the room shortly afterwards. Everyone was there. Everyone was waiting for him to explain. How was he going to do that? No clue. Might as well just start at the beginning.

"So," Sans said shakily, "Everyone's here. Guess that means I have some explaining to do. Heh."

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

"Ok," he began, "So, um, what I'm going to say might be a bit confusing. Heck, you might not even believe it. But I'm going to tell you anyways. Because…. Because you want to know. So, um…. If you don't understand something I suppose you could ask for clarification; but I'm not really good at the explaining thing. So… let's get started?"

Everyone looked at him, waiting with baited breath for whatever he was going to say. Each with their own expectations. Yet, with how vast their thoughts might have been, no one was expecting the speech Sans was about to give.

Sans took a big gulp of air, and began.

"So, have you ever heard of the many worlds theory?" he asked cautiously.

Everyone looked at him curiously.

"I-I-I mean, I've _heard_ of it," Alyphs said, "B-But I've never really s-studied it. I-I-It's not exactly m-my area of expertise."

Sans nodded, "Well then, I might as well explain it. The many worlds theory essentially states that for every action with multiple outcomes, multiple worlds are created to house said outcomes."

Everyone just stared.

Sans sighed, "Okay, um… how 'bout I explain it like this? So, Schrödinger's cat. It's a thought experiment created by Erwin Schrödinger. To give the short version, a cat is trapped in a box. Because of the nature of the box, the cat can either be dead or alive. We don't know which, because we haven't opened the box yet. However, when we do open the box, two things can happen. Either, the two possibilities collide, causing one true possibility that we observe. Or, the idea I'm talking about, neither possibilities collide, instead creating two separate universes. One in which the cat lives, and one where the cat dies. Neither world is aware of the other, and they go about their lives as if there was only one possible outcome, the one their living."

"O-kay?" Undyne said, confused, "What does this have to do with you?"

"Well," Sans said, "Let's apply this to everything, shall we? Let's say that every action that has more than one outcome is split like this. That a world is created for each outcome. Say Alyphs invites you over for anime, but you already have sparring practice with Papyrus that day. There is a world where you declined Alyphs, and one where you rescheduled Papyrus. In the grand scheme of things, one might say that this knowledge is inconsequential. After all, you have no interaction with the other worlds, so their choices have no impact on you. But let's change the scenario a bit. Let's assume for one moment that time travel exists. How does this affect it? Well I'll tell you. Let's go back to your scenario, Undyne. Only this time, we make it so that you can time travel."

Undyne looked a t him curiously, but said nothing.

"The two worlds split, and you choose to spar with Papyrus, but afterwards you wish that you'd watched anime. After all, you'd never seen that episode before, and you and Alyphs haven't hung out in a while. So you go back, and this time, you choose to watch anime. But Papyrus gets really sad about not having practice that day, and feels a bit left out. Because of this, you feel a bit selfish, and can't enjoy the anime as much as you'd like to. So you go back again, and this time, you watch anime, but invite Papyrus to come with you. This way, Papyrus doesn't feel left out, and you got to watch a cool anime with Alyphs. Everyone wins, and everyone's happy. But by the time you found this perfect solution, you'd already gone back in time two times. You'd seen almost all of the possible outcomes, to decide which outcome was the best. Now let's say you did this for everything. Every situation in which you didn't particularly like the outcome, you went back and did this until you figured out what to do. What was best for you. Tell me Undyne, if this was you, how would you feel? Would you be mad at yourself, for playing with fate and changing outcomes with the metaphorical wave of your hand? Or would you be proud of yourself, for finding the best outcomes, and making everyone happy?"

Undyne was silent, thinking over what Sans said.

"Remember, you're the only one who knows you're doing this. Everyone else is oblivious."

Undyne thought, "I'd… I'd be mad at myself. I wouldn't be asking permission, no one would even know I was doing anything, yet I'd be messing with their lives. Changing things, in the way I felt fit. As much as I believe myself to be a great monster, I don't always have the right answer. I can be a bit brash sometimes. I'd hate to see what stupid mistakes I'd make if I had control of everything."

A small, sad, smile crept it's way onto Sans face, "Glad to hear that. It shows just how strong you really are."

A small sigh escaped Sans, "But let's say you didn't have that power. Someone else did. Someone with, maybe, a little less morals than you? Let's say this someone had control. And they didn't mind it at all. In fact, they enjoyed it. They like to find out about all the different possibilities. How people would act during different situations. They'd always bring it back to the same start point, but they'd like to see all the different ways things could go from that point. How small inconsequential details could become big deals. Seeing as they'd always bring it back to a certain point, they wouldn't let the timeline go to far out. Maybe, as far as a year. But that year kept building up. Kept getting redone and redone. Until that same year had been done more than a hundred times. Only, it wasn't that same year. No, each year was different. Each year was a different experiment; to see what they would do if this happened. Some didn't even last a full year. Maybe only a couple of days. But each time was slightly different. A different way to do the same days. After all, there are many choices to make over the course of one year."

Sans took a deep breath, and continued, "But now let's say something changed. Let's say that the someone who had control got overthrown, and now a new person has that ability. What do they do with it. Let's say that, at first, they barely used it. That is was only brought into play in necessary situations. And let's say that they did something really great, and made a lot of people happy. They were a really great person, maybe a little too great. How? Well let's say that this new person wanted everyone to be happy. And when they did that something that made so many people happy, a few got left out. And they didn't want that. So let's say they went back, in an attempt to make a happy ending even happier. And let's say they failed. So they tried again. And again. And again. Until it came to their attention that maybe they were doing something wrong. Maybe they had to try something a different way. And so, little by little, they made changes to their choices. Small things at first, the way they responded to a question, or the way they did an action. But slowly, bigger things. Until the changes kept getting bigger and bigger, and the way they were doing things barely resembled the way they did it the first time. And while they didn't like the new choices they were making, they had to make them. They had to find some way to make that happy ending even happier, even if they had to do some unhappy things to get it. They were just missing some vital piece of information, and to find it, they would do anything."

Another deep breath, "So when someone suggested they do something awful, promising it would give them the information they needed, they agreed. They didn't like what they had to do, but they would do it. They had to do it. And so they did the deeds they were told to do, and while they didn't like them, they slowly got easier to do. They faintly remembered how someone told them that once. That the more you did something, the easier it was to do. The less you cared about the action. And so, when they neared the end, they were dead set on what they had to do. For the sake of their happy ending. After all, it didn't really matter, did it? No one knew about it anyway. When they did it all over again they would have the information they needed to help everyone, and they would be heralded as a hero. Unlucky for them, however, as one more thing stood in their way. They thought it would be easy, one last threshold to cross. They underestimated him. They lost, and they lost, and they lost. Until they couldn't remember how many times they had lost. They didn't understand why he was doing it, it shouldn't have mattered to him, and that frustrated them. They were so close! They almost had the answers they needed. Why couldn't he just back down? Slowly though, they realized it. Why he stood in front of them and stopped them. Because it was the right thing to do. Because it didn't make sense to do bad stuff to get a good ending. Because they deserved to be stopped. And they decided to stop. They decided it would be better to go back, and do it the way they had done it the first time. To just accept what they had been given."

"But they could not. For the one who had told them to do it it in the first place wouldn't allow them to. They wanted to finish this. After all, they were told countless times by the other that they wanted to help someone they knew. And they knew that this would help them, give them the answers they needed. Why then, stop here? It wasn't right! It was false hope! And if the other wouldn't finish it, then they would. And so, the two fought. They'd both go back, time and time again, to do things their way. To get the ending they wanted. Neither could ever get to the end, the other always stopping them. And so, the two that had trapped everyone in a loop for their own agenda, became trapped in a loop of their own; no longer on the same side. And while they fought, reversing time again and again, they both forgot about why they fought in the first place. Why they chose to stand by the endings they did. They forgot about their morals, and they forgot about their opinions. All they wanted, was to win the fight. Get the ending they wanted, regardless of why they wanted it. And they were DETERMINED to get it. And so they both forgot about the two other people in the equation. The original controller of the timelines, and the only bystander who knew about their doings. The one who had stood in their way in the first place, and had gotten one of them two to question their ways. And so they stood, and watched the destruction the other two caused. And while they both hated each other, for the bystander never really liked anyone who messed with the timelines, they both agreed that it would have been better if they had never left power at all. For while they had no morals, they were better than the two bickering kids who couldn't even be bothered to remember why they fought in the first place."

The room was silent for a moment, waiting to see if he would continue. When he didn't, Papyrus tentatively spoke up.

"Sans," he said, "Is…Why did you tell us this story?"

Sans let out a bitter laugh that turned into a sob, "Because, dear brother; it's true."

Notes: YES! Finally I finished this chapter! You have no idea how hard it was to write this. I spent days just looking at a blank page trying to figure out how Sans was going to explain this. I swear, with this writer's block and school combined, I thought I would never finish it! Sorry it took so long. I feel so bad leaving you without a chapter for so long. I'll try to step up the speed, but I have a feeling updates won't speed up any time soon. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you in the next one!


	8. Chapter 8

There was a moment of silence. No one knew what to say. What do you say when someone tells you that? Reveals their life story to you in a way so picturesque and almost distance. As if it happened to you, yet didn't. And yet, isn't that exactly what happened? It happened, but didn't. Just trying to put your head around that is confusing enough.

Everyone was startled when Sans got up.

"Where are you going?" Papyrus asked.

"Upstairs. I'm pretty _bone_ tired after all that, so I'm gonna go take a nap. See ya."

No one said anything as he walked up the stairs. No one knew what to say.

As Sans door closed they realized the weight of everything he had said.

And freaked out.

SO SO SOOOOOOOO Sorry that this is so late! But with school, clubs, holidays, and writer's block I just haven't had the time to write! I know this is really _really_ short but I just couldn't leave you guys with nothing for another week. I want to speed up my uploads, but I also don't want to sacrifice quality. I promise I'll try to speed things up as much as I can, but don't expect that to happen any time soon. For now you'll just have to wait a couple weeks until the next chapter. SO SO sorry!


	9. Chapter 9

Sans immediately regretted his decision to tell them. What had he been thinking?! And of all the ways to tell them, he had to choose that way? He made it sound like some dystopian fairytale! What had ever made him think this was a good idea?

Sans slid down against the door and buried his face in his hands. Everything was going awfully. He just wished this would end.

But since when was that in his jurisdiction?

Nope, he didn't get to choose when things happened or why. It was all up to the kids now. He recalled how he actually used to like one of them. Thought them to be an actually decent person, helping everyone.

Sans remembers how everything is now.

Funny how times change.

Sans ran his hands over his face with a sigh. Today was just not his day. It seemed like the world was just out to get him this time.

More than usual.

Sans got up slowly and made his way to his bed. He might as well get some sleep.

As he got into bed he tried to figure out at what part in the timeline he currently was. He guessed that the kid must've just fallen into the underground, and was in the Ruins. That should be fun, after everything that's happened.

Briefly, he wondered if this might be better. Having them know, maybe they could find some way to fix this. Or at least confront the kid as a team.

He hated having to bother them, but he honestly couldn't help the hope the spread inside him. Undyne was sure to give them hell after everything he's said.

Yes, the next few days were sure to be hell, but maybe he could make it through it. After all, things are different this time.

Sans smiled softly to himself. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he looked at the bright side of things. Maybe talking to them actually had done something.

Closing his eyes, he left himself drift off to sleep, silently hoping for no nightmares.

"Sans!"

A loud voice woke Sans up from his deep sleep.

"Come on Sans! We have to go patrolling today."

No.

Slowly, Sans made his way to his door, making sure he had his composure.

Sure enough, there was Papyrus, blissfully unaware of anything that had happened. Simply waiting for Sans so that they could go on patrol.

Sans felt himself go numb.

The human reset? Already? They hadn't even made their way through the Ruins, what gives?

He guessed that one of the kids had voiced the other to reset early than usual, not liking the outcome already. Impatient much?

Sans smiled as he went down the stairs.

"I'm coming, Pap. Just let me get my jacket."

He grabbed his jacket off the couch and put it on. Nothing was wrong. It was all ok.

"Finally," Papyrus said, "Now let's get going! I can't be late for patrol!"

Sans and Papyrus walk out of the house, one filled with joy, the other filled with dread.

Both headed in the same direction.

Note: Dear god has it been a whole month!? I am soo sorry! I honestly expected to speed this up, not slow this down. Now, I know that some of you might not like this ending. I myself don't like it that much, but I honestly don't know what else to do. I had hoped to maybe go through an entire genocide run and show how things are different with them knowing, but I just couldn't. I don't know why, but I just can't think of anything to write for this story. It's odd, I used to be able to write entire chapters in a day, but now it takes an entire month for this short thing. I've been working on some other stuff though, while I agonized over this story. I may post that stuff, because why not. Again, I am so sorry for ending this so poorly. Feel free to write your own ending or continuation if you want to. I'd love to read it. Thank you to everyone who stuck around and bothered to read this, I honestly don't deserve you guys. With that being said, thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
